Pre-tax profit was also up by 40% to £5.9m from £4.2m in 2005.
According to Cello, the acquisition of SMT in September has boosted the group's consulting capability and organic growth supplemented by profitable digital start-ups such as Blonde and Oomph has meant that this is an encouraging start to 2007 for the company.
Kevin Steeds, chairman of Cello, said: "These results represent a substantial step forward in scale for us as a public company. Our position and focus is clear.
"Over 75% of our group is in research and consulting, which is where we are experiencing high levels of organic growth. We start 2007 with real momentum. A healthy level of revenue visibility, combined with a strong balance sheet, will enable us to further invest for future growth."
Cello Response, the group's digital, direct marketing and data group, continued to benefit from the growth of response media, particularly online. Cello Response delivered a headline operating profit of £1.8m on gross profit of £9.8m. The successful combination of digital companies Oomph and Blonde with marketing response and database knowledge has placed Cello in a good place in online direct marketing.
At the end of January, Cello acquired a controlling interest in Rosenblatt and Digital People Online. These purchases have strengthened Cello's consumer research and online research capability.
The group intends to build on its core business, market research, in both quantitative and qualitative areas in the UK. International expansion will remain largely organic. Steeds said the group is also seeking to aggressively build its consulting capability in healthcare, the public sector and a range of other areas.
Cello also intends to expand its response capability by expanding its presence in the London market. The group will continue to push its digital and online capabilities in both research and response.